Vice President for Student Affairs - Simmons

Vice President for Student Affairs

Leadership Profile

Fall 2020

Simmons University Vice President for Student Affairs

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Executive Summary

Simmons University seeks a visionary and experienced leader to serve as Vice President for Student

Affairs (VPSA). Located in the heart of Boston, Simmons University (Simmons) is a private university,

home to a respected women’s undergraduate program, as well as coeducational graduate programs in

nursing and health sciences, liberal arts, business, communications, social work, public health, and library

and information science. Joining a welcoming and inclusive community, the next student affairs leader will

convey a demonstrated commitment to diversity in all its forms and the vision to advance a forward-

thinking and student-centered student affairs operation.

For more than a century, Simmons has been preparing women to lead lives that impact communities

around the globe. The Simmons story is one of growth, innovation, and a solid foundation — fueled by

on-the-ground and online enrollments and fortified by investments in its campus and technology. In

alignment with its core purpose, Simmons launched one of the first undergraduate women’s studies

degree programs for women in the 1960s. Soon after, Simmons created the first MBA program designed

specifically for women, with a focus on the organizational behavior of men and women. As new

technologies and increased competition have caused significant disruptions in the higher education

landscape, Simmons has developed and expanded high quality, nationally recognized online graduate

degree and certificate programs in such areas as nursing, social work, and library and information

science.

The VPSA will join Simmons at an exciting moment of transition, challenge, and opportunity. Dr. Lynn

Perry Wooten, Simmons’s ninth President and the University’s first African American President, joined the

campus community in July 2020, energizing the institutional legacy of and commitment to empowering

women-centered leaders and social justice champions. Reporting directly to the President, the VPSA will

assume an important and highly influential role at Simmons and be tasked with helping the University

“become a beacon of leadership in the world of higher education; a resource to our nation and world;

known for our expertise in fields which improve the human condition; sought out for the findings of our

highly reputable research; and seen as the global expert in educating women for their own

empowerment and leadership.”

A trailblazer in online learning, Simmons is positioned to build on its many accomplishments to meet the

challenges of the pandemic and post-pandemic era. The Vice President for Student Affairs will help the

University continue to respond to these rapidly changing times and offer a holistic Simmons experience

for all students — undergraduate, graduate, and online – that is seamless, positive, and best-in-class.

The Vice President for Student Affairs will demonstrate commitment to social justice and foster a diverse,

welcoming, and inclusive community; be dedicated to developing student leaders; and advance the

University’s goal of inclusive excellence through successful student engagement, retention, and support

strategies. Leadership and communication skills are essential, as is the ability to build bridges and work in

partnership with a wide variety of people and offices. The VPSA will also convey a proven capacity for

embedding student affairs priorities within institutional values and aspirations and the ability to keep

student welfare always at the forefront by anticipating and responding to matters that influence the

student experience.


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Additional information about Simmons University is available at www.simmons.edu. To submit a

nomination or express personal interest in this position, please see the Procedure for Candidacy on page

16 of this document.

Role of the Vice President for Student Affairs

This is a role for a strategic leader and innovator with deep commitment to holistic student engagement.

The Vice President for Student Affairs will be a collaborative, inclusive, and experienced professional with

significant experience enacting the best practices in student affairs and a belief in the essential link

between diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and excellence.

The Vice President for Student Affairs will provide transformational leadership for a forward-thinking and

dynamic student affairs operation and will be responsible for developing, articulating, and implementing

an ambitious and thoughtful strategic plan for enhancing the way students experience Simmons outside

the classroom. The VPSA will collaborate and partner with University stakeholders including the President,

Provost, Deans, and colleagues who lead Organizational Culture, Inclusion and Equity (OCIE), Finance,

Advancement, Legal, Facilities, Communications, Enrollment Management, and Human Resources. These

partnerships will aide in developing and supporting a seamless, integrated, and inclusive student

experience across undergraduate, graduate, and online student populations, providing the direction,

leadership, and strategy to optimize Simmons’s current and future student-engagement programs.

Additionally, the VPSA will advocate for and advance student welfare and campus culture, including a

strong focus on the matters that influence student

retention. The VPSA will support Simmons's goals to

integrate student leadership development, professional

preparation, intellectual exploration and community

orientation while simultaneously valuing the many

dimensions of identity — including race, class, ethnicity,

and sexual identity — that are reflected in the Simmons

curriculum, affiliated organizations, and community

partnerships.

This is a position for a skilled manager of people and

programs. As such, the VPSA will be responsible for key

revenue management, including $15.7 million in room

and board. In addition, the VPSA will provide leadership

for a team of approximately 27 full-time staff and will

manage a budget of about $5.4 million in the following

areas:

▪ Athletics

▪ Conduct and Community Standards

▪ Residence Life

▪ Student Counseling Services

▪ Student Engagement

▪ Student Health Services

http://www.simmons.edu/


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Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership

Simmons is rich in tradition but not rigid. As such, the new Vice President for Student Affairs will be

empowered to make an impact, forging ahead with pace and purpose to imagine, develop, and

execute an ambitious plan for Student Affairs. The VPSA will be asked to address the following

critical leadership issues, among others:

Establish and implement a forward-thinking vision that puts students at the center

Since its inception, Simmons has been a forward-thinking, groundbreaking institution. Innovation is part

of the culture, and leadership at Simmons believes that adapting to the needs of the modern world is key

to the University's future at a time when the landscape of higher education is constantly evolving. The

pandemic has created opportunities to think differently and creatively about the Simmons student

experience. Of the University's 1,700 undergraduate students, about 1,000 typically live on campus. For

fall 2020, academic instruction for undergraduate and graduate students moved almost entirely online

with very few students living on campus. In partnership with 2U, Student Affairs quickly shifted its

services to a new, almost-completely online environment. As such, Simmons is offering robust digital

undergraduate academic advising, student support, and career education, along with rich co-curricular

activities.

For as long as the pandemic endures, Student Affairs will continue to engage with and support students

in innovative and meaningful ways, ensuring that the Simmons virtual campus experience brings the

whole community together. As the new Vice President for Student Affairs looks to the future, it will be

important to anticipate and respond to the shifting environment in higher education, recognizing that a

lasting result of the pandemic may be a greater mix of online and in-person instruction and student

experiences. Leading a division that is flexible, fast‐thinking, action‐oriented, and student-focused, the

new leader will help Simmons move past the current global crisis to reimagine a student experience that

is best-in-class, future-oriented, and above all, puts students first.

Foster a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive community

Simmons is committed to becoming the most inclusive campus in New England. The student body

at Simmons tends to be socially minded with a strong sense of activism, and the fall 2020 entering

class is the most diverse in history, representing 45% first‐generation students and 49% students

of color. As the University's student population continues to shift, the VPSA must create an

infrastructure that fosters a true and accessible sense of community; supports and extends social

justice priorities, particularly for students; and ensures that all students find solid connection points

with the University. Time, talent, programs, and resources will be required for Simmons to live fully

its values, as well as the willingness for everyone to think and work differently. The VPSA will

provide critical leadership in furthering a culture that values the presence and contributions of all

community members. Recognizing that different communities experience the institution in different

ways, the VPSA will be highly engaged with and responsive to students as well as staff, faculty, and

other partners to understand the many support and accessibility mechanisms and resources that

are required. Conversations that engender collaboration, trust, and confidence will be a top priority

for the new leader. Among the key collaborations and partnerships for this position will be the


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office of Organizational Culture, Inclusion and Equity. Overall, the VPSA will lead the division in a

manner that celebrates diversity, supports social justice, ensures meaningful counseling and health

services, and approaches the work in a purposeful and multidimensional way — embedding

diversity and inclusion in all Student Affairs does.

Transform the student experience and greatly enhance student satisfaction

Simmons has experienced remarkable change and progress in recent years, from rapid growth in

online education to the creation of four new colleges, and along with that, achieving university

designation in 2018. As Simmons rapidly grew from a primarily traditional undergraduate

institution to a complex institution offering graduate and online courses, support and services for

students did not evolve at the same pace. Support mechanisms, communication, and what

students can expect from Simmons can vary among student populations. Through a partnership

with Gallup, Simmons has sought to better understand the areas in which students are least

satisfied. The VPSA will turn this information into action, constantly measuring and assessing

student support efforts and creating a concierge-model for how to serve students. Bringing greater

cohesion, consistency, use of technology, and a customer-service orientation in support of all

students – undergraduate, graduate, and online – will be a top priority for the new VPSA.

Integrate Student Affairs with all aspects of the University, with particular focus on

Academic Affairs

The Vice President for Student Affairs will be expected to establish an immediate, visible presence

with the campus community, alumnae/i, and key community stakeholders. The new leader will

earn the respect, confidence, and support of their colleagues by reaching across the University and

developing productive, collaborative relationships with the campus community and with other

divisions. It is expected that the VPSA will partner with faculty and deans to provide a necessary

voice in conversations about curricular and programmatic issues that have an impact on Simmons

students with a particular emphasis on student leadership development as well as critical thinking

around social justice issues.


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Advance the vision for One Simmons

With an enduring commitment to meeting the needs and aspirations of current and future students,

the University is moving ahead with One Simmons, the plan to integrate the future living and

learning environment on campus. This initiative involves redesigning the academic campus in a

way that ultimately will make it possible to house the entire academic and residential experience

on one more-sustainable and accessible campus, essentially turning two bifurcated campuses into

one. This presents a great opportunity for the Vice President for Student Affairs to reconsider the

University's residential life philosophy and the core Simmons experience.

Provide strong leadership and support for the Student Affairs team

The VPSA will lead a team that is dedicated, optimistic, and cares deeply about Simmons and its

students. As a team that has experienced significant change, the division looks forward to

sustained leadership in the new VPSA. The VPSA will be committed to mentoring and developing

the team and empowering the staff to continue to identify opportunities for change and

improvement for the benefit of Simmons students.

Professional Qualifications and Personal Qualities

The new Vice President for Student Affairs will have an unwavering commitment to students, taking an

authentic interest in the lives and development of all college students (undergraduate, graduate, and

online, including first-generation students and second-career students). The successful candidate will be

collaborative, visionary, and transformational, with expertise in student development, engagement, and

retention. The ability to establish a dynamic vision for the division, to motivate and inspire colleagues,


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and manage priorities while maintaining forward momentum is essential. Experience with appropriate

technology and data-informed strategic decision making is critical for fostering change management and

improving the student experience.

The ideal candidate will have the following professional qualifications and personal characteristics:

Vision and leadership: The ability to strategically lead with optimism and creativity, particularly

in times of high pressure or crisis; experience envisioning and executing on an optimal student

experience and leading change management efforts; an entrepreneurial outlook and eye to new

possibilities and emerging challenges in the rapidly changing higher education environment; the

ability to develop and manage relationships with a diverse array of partners; and an ability to

manage, motivate, and develop synergies and a sense of team among a highly diverse professional

staff.

Dedication to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion: Demonstrated commitment to

diversity, equity, access, and inclusion applied to student success as well as hiring and developing

a diverse staff; a portfolio of meaningful contributions to building a multicultural student

community; demonstrated cultural intelligence, commitment to social justice work, and

appreciation of difference; and the awareness of the various ways in which the University can be

experienced differently by different students.

Proven effectiveness and expertise in student affairs: A track record of success in the

development and implementation of successful student affairs strategic plans and associated

initiatives; a deep understanding of and experience in student leadership development; the ability

to engage students broadly, seeking their input continuously and being constantly mindful of the

unique needs of different student populations.

Exceptional analytical and technological skills: The ability to engage in constant strategic analysis

of opportunities and challenges; the ability to support the use of new technology, including digital

content and mobile media, to engage current students and their parents.

Commitment to retention and student success and a holistic understanding of student

life: The ability to retain students through engagement efforts and the delivery of positive,

educational, and personal experiences; a commitment to assuring the success of all students from

diverse backgrounds and experiences; an understanding of student development that is aligned

with the University’s mission; ability to build programs that anticipate moral, social, and

psychological concerns of a talented, contemporary, and diverse student body; familiarity with

residential education and other student affairs functions; and knowledge of and ability to use best

practices, prior experience, professional standards, and research literature to guide and support

student affairs work.

Ability to inhabit a high-visibility role with grace: A genuine and visible enjoyment and

understanding of college students in the widest and deepest sense, with the ability to build trust

and mutually respectful relationships with students; the capacity to interact directly and positively

with a wide range of constituents including students, alumni, trustees, faculty, administrative


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colleagues, staff, parents of current and prospective students, community leaders, and the public

and to serve as a frequent and articulate spokesperson for the University as a highly visible

member of the University’s leadership team.

Personal qualities and characteristics: Mature communication skills with the ability to articulate

a vision effectively to all constituencies; a sense of urgency and engagement; resilience, optimism,

confidence, and managerial courage and excitement about change; a genuine interest in forming a

team with key University leaders; an eagerness to develop a team and collaborate cross-

functionally; a personal presence that is inclusive; and an ability to observe, listen, learn, and

clarify needs while engendering trust quickly among various constituencies.

Academic credentials: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in a related field (student affairs,

higher education administration, counseling, public administration, etc.) with terminal degree

strongly preferred.

About Simmons University

In founding and endowing Simmons College in his 1899 will, Boston businessman John Simmons

acted on a revolutionary idea: women should be educated like men and prepared to earn

independent livelihoods for themselves and their families. Over its long history, Simmons has

evolved and changed, but it has remained true to its commitment to empower women through a

strong educational foundation. Combining intellectual achievement with purpose to make an impact

in the world was and continues to be the broad goal of Simmons.

In 1902, Simmons opened its doors to its first class of 146 undergraduate students. Simmons built

upon their undergraduate programs to offer graduate education, initially only to women, but over

time to include men. Its first graduate program, the Master of Science at the Boston School for

Social Workers, was launched in 1912. The Master of Science at the School of Library Science was

created in 1949, followed by the establishment over the next decades of master’s programs in the

liberal arts, education, and business. Today, Simmons is anchored by its highly respected women’s

undergraduate programs and enriched by its coeducational graduate offerings — offered both on

the ground and online — in health sciences, liberal arts, business, communications, social work,

public health, and library and information science.

In keeping with its founding impulse, Simmons is dedicated to empowering women, developing

leaders, and advancing equity and justice both locally and globally. Simmons graduated its first

African American student in 1914 and was one of the few private colleges not to impose admission

quotas on Jewish students during the first half of the 1900s. In 1963, Simmons established the

Dorothea Lynde Dix Scholars Program, one of the region’s first and most successful programs for

non-traditional students uniquely designed to support adult women age 24 and older or second

bachelor’s candidates. In 2014, Simmons announced a policy on the acceptance of transgender

students, and its undergraduate program accepts applicants who are assigned female at birth as

well as those who self-identify as women.


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Simmons has sponsored the Simmons Leadership Conference, the premier women’s leadership

conference in the world, for the last four decades. The Conference attracts over 3,400 female

middle- and senior-level managers from companies and organizations across the country and

around the globe. In 2019, the University established the Institute for Leadership to advance its

pivotal work in developing women leaders. Drawing on the expertise of Simmons’s faculty, alumni,

and students, as well as external partners, the new Institute is charged with developing new

educational programs for corporate executives, conducting research, and designing other activities

focused on advancing women’s leadership, including hosting global conferences and conversations.

While the Simmons campus is based in Boston, Simmons is a multi-faceted university offering

degree programs at off-site locations including The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and The

New England Center for Children. Undergraduate enrollment totals some 1,777 women, 11% of

whom are learners through the Dix Scholars Program. The racial demographics of the

undergraduate population at Simmons consists of 11% Asian, 7% Black or African American, 8%

Latinx, 5% multi-racial, and 62% White students. The graduate student population numbers 4,858

men and women as of fall 2019, comprising 4% Asian, 9% Black or African American, 7% Latinx,

and 56% White students. Current graduate offerings include five online master’s degrees, with

students from all 50 states enrolled. Simmons is a member of the Colleges of the Fenway

consortium, which also includes Emmanuel College, Wentworth Institute of Technology,

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Massachusetts College of Art and

Design. This collaboration provides cross-registration opportunities to the more than 12,000

undergraduate students that attend these five institutions. As of July 2020, Simmons has an online

graduate student population of 3,728.

The Simmons faculty comprises 231 full-time members, 72% of whom are women. Nearly 90% of

liberal arts faculty members have earned terminal degrees in their fields. The faculty racial

demographics are 7% Asian, 7% Black or African American, 6% Latinx, and 77% White. Faculty

members are proud, dedicated, and passionate teachers and scholars who are personally engaged

with their students not only as close advisors, but also as collaborators and peers in learning,

research, and discovery. The Simmons classroom is an intimate and hands-on learning experience

with the average undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1.


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Committed to its purpose as a student-centered institution, Simmons puts the needs of its students

first and offers the combination of education for leadership in high-demand professional fields with

the intellectual foundation of the liberal arts. In the 21st century, consistent with its 19th century

founding mission, Simmons prepares students to lead meaningful lives, build successful careers,

and impact the world around them.

From College to University: A Decade of Growth

While Simmons has grown and adapted to an evolving higher education landscape over its history,

the story of the last 10 years is critical to understanding the Simmons of today — and of tomorrow.

On September 1, 2018, Simmons College became Simmons University, a transition that was many

years in planning and more accurately reflected the institution’s growth over the previous decade.

When President Helen Drinan took the helm at Simmons in 2008, the world was entering the

biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Simmons’s leadership made difficult decisions

to strengthen the institution’s financial stability and flexibility — including right-sizing the

University and diversifying revenues. While those decisions were difficult for the Simmons

community, in the years since, Simmons has met self-imposed goals for net-tuition revenue

growth, revenue surplus budgets, and fundraising, as well as appropriate debt ratios and cash

reserves. In FY19, Simmons had revenues of approximately $195 million.

Today, the Simmons story is one of growth and innovation based on a solid foundation. On campus

and online enrollment; a variety of revenue streams; renewed investments in diversity, equity, and

inclusion; and the modernization of the campus infrastructure have fueled this growth. The

confluence of strong leadership, committed trustees, faculty, alumnae/alumni, staff and students,

and a willingness to implement new ways of doing business ignited this institutional success.

Looking to the future, Simmons’s leadership has embarked on a series of far-reaching initiatives

that aim to reshape the University and position it for the long term. Central to them is an explicit

emphasis and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. At Simmons, diversity is defined as

individuals of different backgrounds and identities including race, color, gender, gender identity and

expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, or

class/SES. At Simmons, equity is defined as the condition of fair and just inclusion into a society, a

goal that will be reached when those who have been most marginalized have equal access to

opportunities, power, participation, and resources and all have avenues to safe, healthy,

productive, and fulfilling lives. Finally, at Simmons, inclusion is defined as the active, intentional,

and ongoing engagement with diversity — in people, curriculum, co-curriculum, and communities

(intellectual, social, cultural, geographical). The concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion anchor

Simmons’s work in the framework of Inclusive Excellence, advanced by the Association of American

Colleges and Universities.


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Strategy 2022

The vision for Simmons’s next 100 years, articulated in its Strategy 2022, provides a roadmap to

guide the University toward making that vision a reality. Central planks of the Simmons Strategy

2022 include:

Academic Redesign

Simmons had long been organized into traditional, disciplinary-focused academic units, with

undergraduate programs complemented by the College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Studies,

School of Library and Information Science, the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, the School

of Management, and the School of Social Work. Over the last several years, Simmons leadership

and faculty collaborated on developing a new model of academic organization that would optimize

learning opportunities, promote interdisciplinary pursuit, and minimize redundancy.

Having operated as a de facto university for many years, Simmons was granted that official status

by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2017. With this new designation, the University

announced its revamped academic structure, which was the result of an intensive two-year process

that involved the entire Simmons community. The Academic Redesign came in response not only to

trends in higher education generally, but also to a vision for Simmons at its best: where all

students can strengthen their core areas of study by learning across disciplines and where the

process of intellectual and professional inquiry embraces diversity and fuels personal development.

The Academic Redesign structure brings broadly connected fields together, combines

undergraduate and graduate programs in these new academic units, and facilitates study across

units by standardizing credits and costs across the University. This new structure allows all

students to work around disciplinary “corners” and opens new inter-professional opportunities and

pathways.

The Academic Redesign established four colleges, each encompassing undergraduate and graduate

offerings and incorporating a complementary selection of academic fields. As part of this

reorganization, Simmons conducted and completed four dean searches over the past two years.

▪ The Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts, and Humanities incorporates disciplines attuned to the

modes of expression through which we record and interpret human experience, including

communications, literature, art, music, gender and cultural studies, and the humanities.

▪ The College of Natural, Behavioral, and Health Sciences sits at the core of Simmons’s long

tradition of education for the health professions and incorporates renowned nursing, physical therapy,

nutrition, and behavior analysis programs, along with the natural and behavioral sciences.

▪ The College of Organizational, Computational, and Information Sciences combines the

growing information fields with Simmons’s nationally ranked Library and Information Science

program, Archives program, and the School of Business, combining the theory and practice of

analytics, entrepreneurship, and technology.


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▪ The College of Social Sciences, Policy, and Practice incorporates Simmons’s first-in-the-nation

School of Social Work with programs in public health, public policy, and the social sciences, rounding

out another important facet of Simmons’s historic tradition of social justice and change-oriented

education for human services professions.

Becoming the Most Inclusive Campus in New England

In Strategy 2022, Simmons reaffirmed its commitment to building a community that is equitable

and inclusive of all its students, staff, faculty, and alumnae/alumni. Social justice is deeply

engrained in the founding mission of Simmons. Over the last decade, as the societal issues of

equity and inclusion around race, gender, sexuality, religion, and ethnicity have taken on increased

urgency, Simmons has recognized the critical work to be done to create and sustain a fully

inclusive, welcoming, and equitable community across all constituencies.

Simmons established the Organizational Culture, Inclusion, and Equity (OCIE) Office in 2018. The

OCIE Office seeks to facilitate fundamental cultural and institutional changes necessary to establish

and maintain a fully inclusive campus and to promote ongoing, meaningful, and authentic

engagement around diversity, equity, and inclusion. President Wooten has established the

Presidential Advisers on Diversity that consists of faculty and staff council members from around

the University to help move this work forward.

The OCIE Office, in partnership with the campus community, is leading the work to help Simmons

achieve its aspiration to be the most inclusive campus in New England. By approaching equity work

in a systemic and multidimensional way, Simmons is working to embed these cultural values in all


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it does; to empower its students to be leaders in this important work out in the world; and to

establish diversity, equity, and inclusion as the bedrock of institutional excellence.

The Student Experience: Strengthening Living and Learning in Community

Simmons developed a set of priorities and recommendations for future campus development in

Strategy 2022. The planning process identified two vital needs of the University moving forward.

First, updating its science facilities to respond to its growing enrollment of science-oriented

students and the rising regional and national importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and

Mathematics (STEM) education. Second, uniting residential accommodations and athletics facilities,

currently on the Residential Campus, with existing academic and administrative facilities on the

Academic Campus to create a “One Simmons” environment. Significant components of the second

strategic priority include building a state-of-the-art learning and living environment to help

students integrate in-classroom learning with social, personal, and ethical development.

Simmons initiated an institutional and master planning process to study how its aging physical

plant can meet the needs of its academic future. In May 2019, it presented a 10-year plan for the

Residence and Academic Campuses that details the renovation of an existing building to support

the science program and lays out the transformation of the two campuses into one integrated

whole, the “One Simmons” campus vision. Notable in the plan is the proposed creation of a new

21-story dorm on the academic campus, which could then trigger a large-scale redevelopment of

its six-acre Residential Campus nearby on Brookline Avenue.

Continued Academic Innovation

The growth of online programming in higher education, sparked by advances in technology and the

resulting changes in human behaviors and learning expectations, has been a prevalent theme in

the sector for more than a decade. In 2012, Simmons entered into a partnership with 2U, a

private, for-profit company that works with colleges and universities around the world to provide

the technology and associated services platform to enable online graduate degree programs.

Simmons’s online academic offerings have led to the doubling of its graduate enrollment and

graduate tuition revenues since that time. Simmons offers five online master’s degrees in

partnership with 2U, with students from all 50 states enrolled. In 2018, Simmons announced a 15-

year extension to the partnership with 2U, ensuring that the University can continue to offer high-

quality and innovative online graduate degree programs to a broad and dispersed community,

extending the impact of a Simmons education and expanding its market reach and student

enrollment.

In May 2020, the University expanded the productive partnership with 2U to develop and deliver a

fully online, reimagined undergraduate experience for new and returning Simmons students for the

fall. With the technological support of 2U, the Simmons faculty is redesigning hundreds of courses

from the University’s undergraduate catalog for online delivery with a blend of synchronous and

asynchronous coursework. The goal is to develop and deliver an engaging, high-quality digital

undergraduate option while ensuring educational continuity for students. In addition to an

intentionally designed online academic experience, students and faculty will have access to the


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same robust support services they have always received, as well as meaningful opportunities for

relationship building and personal growth

In conjunction with the expanding online academic offerings, Simmons reimagined its

undergraduate general education core curriculum and implemented PLAN (Purpose, Leadership,

and ActioN) beginning in 2016. While taking courses in the Simmons PLAN, undergraduate

students substantively engage with the city of Boston, develop their own understanding of

leadership, participate in integrative learning across academic disciplines, and design key

components of their course of study. Simmons first-year students immerse themselves in the city

through the Boston Course, develop their writing skills and exploring their new community.

Leadership President Lynn Perry Wooten

Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, a seasoned academic and an expert on

organizational development and transformation, became the ninth

president of Simmons University on July 1, 2020. She is the first

African American to lead the university.

Specializing in crisis leadership, diversity and inclusion, and positive

leadership — organizational behavior that reveals and nurtures the

highest level of human potential — Dr. Wooten is an innovative

leader and prolific author and presenter whose research has

informed her work in the classroom and as an administrator. She

first joined a university faculty in 1994 and has served in

administrative roles since 2008. Dr. Wooten came to Simmons from Cornell University, where she

was the David J. Nolan Dean and Professor of Management and Organizations at the Dyson School

of Applied Economics and Management.

Dr. Wooten also has had a robust clinical practice, providing leadership development, education,

and training for a wide variety of companies and institutions from the Kellogg Foundation to

Harvard University’s Kennedy School to Google.

With leadership at the core of her work, Dr. Wooten’s research has ranged from an NIH-funded

investigation of how leadership can positively alleviate health disparities to leading in a crisis and

managing workforce diversity. She is the author of two books, Positive Organizing in a Global

Society: Understanding and Engaging Differences for Capacity Building and Inclusion (2016)

and Leading Under Pressure: From Surviving to Thriving Before, During, and After a Crisis (2010).

Sharing her work at nearly 60 symposia and conferences, she also is the author of nearly 30

journal articles and more than 15 book chapters, as well as managerial monographs and numerous

teaching cases.

Dr. Wooten grew up in Philadelphia, where she attended an all-girls high school. She earned a

Bachelor's in Accounting in 1988 from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a


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Historically Black College, where she graduated as valedictorian; an MBA from the Duke University

Fuqua School of Business in 1990; and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of

Michigan Ross School of Business in 1995. She received a Certificate in Advanced Educational

Leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 2018.

Starting her career as Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Florida Warrington

College of Business, Dr. Wooten returned in 1998 to the University of Michigan, where she served

on the faculty of the Ross School of Business for nearly 20 years. There she taught undergraduate,

graduate, and executive education courses and served as Co-Faculty Director of the Center for

Positive Organizations as well as Co-Faculty Director of the Executive Leadership Institute. She

became engaged in student life as an associate dean, ultimately serving as Senior Associate Dean

for Student and Academic Excellence. She left Michigan in 2017 for the deanship at Cornell.

Dr. Wooten is an active member of several national volunteer leadership organizations, including

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Jack & Jill of America, Junior League, and The Links Inc. She is an

advisory board member for the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program and on the boards

of the Center for Effective Philanthropy and the University of Michigan Alumni Association.

She is a past recipient of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business’s BBA Student Award

for Teaching Excellence as well as the school’s Andy Andrews Distinguished Service Award. She

also was chosen as a “Next Generation Business Thinker” by Financial Times.

Dr. Wooten is married to David Wooten, a chaired marketing professor at the University of

Michigan Ross School of Business, and they have two children, Justin and Jada.

Where it all Happens: A University in a Global City No doubt the city of Boston plays a significant role in many of Simmons’s academic and

professional offerings. Indeed, the University draws on many of the city’s cultural, historical,

economic, scientific, and educational resources to offer an unparalleled student experience.

The campus is located in the Fenway neighborhood, within walking distance of the Longwood

Medical Area, where many Simmons students complete internships and clinical rotations at

hospitals and medical research facilities. Simmons is also a short ride to Cambridge’s Kendall

Square, a locus of technology innovation and successful startups, as well as the burgeoning

Seaport and Financial Districts, where law, venture capital, and investment firms offer

opportunities to students with interests in those fields.

The University is also linked with several nearby historical and cultural institutions. The Boston

Public Library, Massachusetts Historical Society, and John F. Kennedy Library offer unmatched

opportunities for research and professional experience for undergraduate and graduate students

alike, while institutions such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Museum of Fine Arts

host internships for Simmons students, providing rich material for experiential learning.


16

As with Simmons, Boston has grown considerably in the past few decades. Though it once might

have been viewed as a small, even provincial city, Boston now is a booming global metropolis, with

almost five million people in the metro area. With that growth has come a welcomed diversity in

racial, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, and national origin. And, as home to more than a

quarter million college students, Boston is a center of higher education and a community of

educators, administrators, and student service professionals unlike anywhere else in the world.

Procedure for Candidacy

All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as two separate

documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile. Professional

references are not necessary at this time.

WittKieffer is assisting Simmons University in this search, which will remain open until an appointment is

made.

Application materials should be submitted using WittKieffer’s candidate portal.

Nominations and inquiries can be directed to:

Amy Crutchfield and Jen Meyers Pickard, Ph.D.

[email protected]

Consistent with the University’s goals to achieve diversity at all levels of university leadership, Simmons encourages nominations and applications from individuals in traditionally underrepresented groups and those dedicated to building a culture of inclusive excellence at Simmons.

The University is committed to equal opportunity for all persons regardless of age, ancestry, class, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

https://candidateportal.wittkieffer.com/description?jobID=21814

mailto:[email protected]

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Vice President for Student Affairs - Simmons

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